What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Humm.ly - Healing with Music is a music therapy and mindfulness app for stress relief and mental health support. Categories of listening options include Wellness, Relationships, Workplace, Guided Imagery, and A.S.M.R. (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, which creates a feeling of tingly calm in listeners). There are meditations for relaxing your neck and shoulders, healing from relationship breakups, managing fear of air travel, and many more. A few tracks are about adult themes, such as "Confidence in the Bedroom" and "Romantic Intimacy." A few tracks are available free, but most require an $8.99-per-month or $71.99 annual subscription. Read the app's privacy policy to find out about the types of information collected and shared.

User Reviews

What's it about?

To use HUMM.LY - HEALING WITH MUSIC, first choose whether to allow the app to connect with Apple Health. Create an account using Facebook or your email address. Tap Listen to listen to the audio track explaining the service. Then swipe or scroll through the choices of issues or theme-based meditations. Tap a category, such as Wellness, and then tap Guided or Unguided and choose a meditation. Tag favorites. Premium content is locked, and users can access it with a subscription.

Is it any good?

This app has a lot of meditation choices, but many of its selections don't seem to be made with teen users in mind. Also, access to most options on Humm.ly - Healing with Music require a somewhat pricey ($8.99/month or $71.99/year) subscription. Subscribers can access many options for help with calming, reframing, relaxing, and just taking a break from the stresses of life. How well the music therapy portion of the app plays into the meditations is questionable. Some tracks include music that sounds rather tinny and synthesized, and just isn't very pleasing to the ear. Also, some Humm.ly content touches on adult themes, like sexual confidence. This app is one of many meditation apps currently available; it's OK, but not the best out there for teens.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about how Humm.ly - Healing with Music may help teens handle situations in their life that create anxiety and agitation. When do they find it difficult to relax? What other techniques might help?

If your teen has trouble with muscle tension after studying or hunching over desks and computers at school all day, have him or her try the neck and back relaxation track.

Talk generally about music's effects on the body, mind, and emotions. What kind of music does your teen listen to daily? What effect does it have, for better or worse? Talk about your own experience with music and emotions when you were a teen and now.

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